10 Mysteries of the human body

Dreaming, yawning, and super powers during pregnancy, are all verified mysteries of the human body. Why do we display certain traits, and act certain ways that don’t offer any obvious benefit. What possess us to do something as nonsensical as yawning during an important meeting or interview. These are all mysteries of the human body, mysteries which scientists have yet to solve, but certainly have some mind blowing theories. This is our list of 10 mysteries of the human body.

Why Aren’t We As Strong As Chimps?

One of the most annoying mysteries of the human body, why are we so damn weak? We should, in fact, be stronger, much stronger, as strong as a chimp in fact. Shave a chimp, look at its body, and it’ll probably become apparent how similar we really are physically. Yet, we are still much weaker than chimps. It could be that our muscles are less dense, or our muscle attachment points may differ slightly, but really it’s just one of the mysteries of the human body. Even a female chimp that only ways 85 pounds is much stronger than we are.

Why Are There Lefties?

Why are there left handed people, or even right handed people, why do we have one dominant hand, instead of two? One in ten people are left handed, but this seems like an arbitrary number. Genes could be responsible, perhaps there is a left handed, or a right handed gene. It could be evolutionary, left handed warriors would carry their shield with their left hand, leaving their heart exposed. It’s possible that prenatal trauma causes the left handed effect in people. It could also be that everybody was born right handed initially, but some people developed left handedness out of necessity, due to loss of limbs.

Why Do We Dream?

When we sleep, we tend to spend 25% of that time dreaming, but what is the point of dreaming, and why do we only do it for 25% of the night. Problem solving may be the answer. Some scientists believe that we use dreams as a way to try and solve problems. It’s a time to process the information we’ve received, and it does this through the process of dreams. The psychoanalytic perspective claims that dreams represent our unconscious desires, and thoughts. It’s also possible that dreams serve no purpose whatsoever and is simply a consequence of other biological processes.

Why Do We Have Pubes?

Why humans have pubes, is a question that’s never been answered. It’s possible that it could be to keep our genitals warm in cold environments, which would help keep them safe. It could also act as a cushion protecting our genitals from chafing. The hair could also be a way of showing that you’re sexually active, and able to procreate. One indicator of this is that pubic hair will start to get thinner around the age of 50. The hair can also absorb pheromones that attract mates. So there is good evidence to say we evolved to have the hair in order to make ourselves more attractive.

Why Do We Have An Appendix?

Scientists wanted to know for the longest time, why we have an appendix, and still, they don’t know why. However, there are some interesting theories. The appendix is located in the colon, and appears to have no use whatsoever. When the appendix is removed, nothing happens, no adverse effects to be seen. Why did we evolve to have an organ that we don’t even need? One explanation is that it helps to train our immune system. It could also be a container for back-up microbes that help us get through certain conditions. Some professionals are convinced that it is simply a vestigial organ that serves no real purpose anymore.

Where Does Consciousness Come From?

What exactly causes the feeling of consciousness, and where is it located in the brain? Consciousness continues to be one the greatest mysteries in science. Most neuroscientists don’t believe that consciousness actually has one spot in the brain, but is the result of different parts of the brain working together. A study in 2017 found that there are actually four processes which can act as a signature of conscious activity. These four distinct processes took place in the brains of people who were presented with stimuli with could be perceived consciously, but they didn’t occur in people who were presented with stimuli which could only be perceived unconsciously.

Super Smell While Pregnant!?

Countless women have noticed that while they’re pregnant, they gain an incredible sense of smell. This can often come as quite a shock as most women have no idea this will happen when they get pregnant. Some women will even be able to work out that they’re pregnant simply from this heightened sense of smell they have. It’s possible that women develop this sense of smell in order to help protect themselves from potentially toxic substances. After all, when you’re pregnant, you need to be more careful about what substances enter your body.

Why People Have Autism

Why people suffer from autism is still something scientists are kicking themselves for not knowing the answer to. Not being able to know what causes it makes it hard to construct a cure. And worryingly, it makes it hard to know why autism is rising. 1 in 68 children are on the spectrum, which is an increase of 100% in only the last 40 years. Studies have shown that the rise in autism isn’t just caused by improvements in recording the rate of people living with autism. Why it’s increasing is unknown. Another mystery is why boys have autism on a much larger scale. You may be surprised to find out that while 1 in 168 girls have autism, 1 in 42 boys have autism. This means that if you’re a man, it’s unlikely either you or someone you know doesn’t have autism.

Why Do People Sneeze When Looking At Bright Lights?

Known as sun sneezing, or the much harder to remember Autosomal Dominant Compelling Helio-Ophthalmic Outburst Syndrome. Some people will sneeze when they look at bright lights, and although it affects a large portion of the population (18-35%), we still don’t know why it happens. It’s certain that this is a genetic disorder, and that only one parent needs to have it in order for it to pass on to one or more of their children, but not necessarily all of them. A cure isn’t known, and until we know the source, finding one will likely be difficult.

Why We Yawn?

Why do we yawn? Something many people have wondered since it happens to all of us, throughout our life, but we never quite work out why. We realise, of course, that it happens when we are tired, and sometimes when we are bored. It can often get people in trouble with teachers or bosses, who see it as a sign of disrespect. Scientists came up with a theory that will surprise most people at first. Yawning is a way of communicating with the group. They believe that it displays empathy, an understanding of other people’s state of being. A study found that people who are more empathetic, are more likely to be contagious yawners. A contagious yawner is someone who will yawn when someone else yawns. Psychology students were much more likely to yawn in response to someone else yawning than engineering students, and also displayed higher levels of empathy than engineering students.